The first few Erstwhile releases were something of a mixed set in terms of the music, ranging from the melancholy avant-blues of Loren Connors[1] to the rather traditional free jazz of VHF.
[3] The fifth Erstwhile release, World Turned Upside Down, featured a trio of guitarists Keith Rowe, Taku Sugimoto and percussionist Günter Müller.
[4] Subsequent Erstwhile releases have largely focused on slow-moving, often quiet compositions played using non-standard computers and electronics (such as Sachiko M's "empty sampler" or Toshimaru Nakamura's "no-input mixing board").
Some critics argue that Erstwhile and the term EAI have become almost synonymous, with NYC musician Jeremiah Cymerman regarding them as "The Blue Note of lowercase music.
Critic John Eyles writes, "Just as such labels as Blue Note, ECM, and Incus have captured and defined the zeitgeist at various points in the past, Erstwhile is now doing so.
In September 2005, Abbey put together a separate music festival in New York City, this time in collaboration with Tim Barnes' label Quakebasket and MoMA's The Artist Project, called ErstQuake.